Stop Negotiating Like Liz Lemon

I used to negotiate like Liz Lemon. 🍋 📺

You know the vibe. Hyper-competent, over-prepared, but terrified of the uncomfortable silence.

I would state my offer (or my need), and then, in the 3 seconds of silence that followed, my brain would scream: "Oh no. They hate it. It’s too high. Say something. Fix it. Be charming. Offer a discount!"

And I would start talking.

I would bid against myself before the other person even opened their mouth. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Then I learned the Jack Donaghy method.

There is a principle in negotiation (and in 30 Rock) that changed my life: "The first person to speak loses."

Jack Donaghy doesn't fill the silence. He weaponizes it. He states the term. He leans back. He waits.

He knows that silence creates a vacuum. And human beings are wired to fill vacuums. If you stay quiet, the other person will start talking. They will justify their position. They will negotiate with themselves.

Last week, I tried the Jack method.

I was on a call with a potential strategic partner. I made the ask. It was big. It was scary. And then... I shut my mouth.

I wanted to fill the void. I wanted to explain. I wanted to apologize. But I counted to ten.

And you know what happened? They didn't get mad. They didn't walk away. They processed.

And then they engaged….

Favorably!

To my fellow founders (and recovering Liz Lemons): Stop talking past the sale. Your product is worth it. Your vision is worth it. State your value. Then let the silence do the work.

(Good God, Lemon. Just breathe.)